UPDATE: Mercy won't leave for two days

Mechanical problem delays Pacific goodwill mission

The Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy, is preparing to leave Naval Base San Diego on Tuesday, on the first leg of Pacific Partnership 2012, the largest annual humanitarian and civic mission that will take it to the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia and provide medical, dental, veterinary, and civil engineering assistance during the four-and-a-half month deployment.

The Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy, is preparing to leave Naval Base San Diego on Tuesday, on the first leg of Pacific Partnership 2012, the largest annual humanitarian and civic mission that will take it to the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia and provide medical, dental, veterinary, and civil engineering assistance during the four-and-a-half month deployment.

Update: 4:30 p.m. Tuesday -- The Mercy may be stuck at its San Diego pier for two days after a mechanical problem delayed its planned departure this morning.

A spokeswoman for Pacific Partnership 2012, the medical goodwill mission that the Mercy will lead, said the converted tanker is experiencing trouble with its forward propulsion system. Engineers say the repairs will take up to 48 hours, said spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Maria Lohmeyer.

Slightly smaller than an aircraft carrier, the hospital ship was created out of a gutted super tanker in 1986. According to the Navy's website, it is supposed to be capable of being fully activated and crewed within five days.

The hospital ship is still expected to show up on time for its first goodwill port of call, Indonesia, Lohmeyer said. The first date in Indonesia has been advertised as May 31.

ORIGINAL STORY:

One operation stands out in the mind of Dr. Matthew Provencher, a Navy orthopedic surgeon. A young Cambodian man who loved soccer had a crooked leg from an accident — too crooked to play or coach soccer anymore.

The man came aboard the Mercy in 2010, the last time the San Diego-based Navy hospital ship sailed the Pacific on its every-other-year goodwill medical mission. Provencher performed surgery in the Mercy’s cavernous operating room, inserting a rod to straighten the man’s calf bone.

One of the utility boats affectionately known as Band-Aid Boats is secured on the Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy as it prepares to leave San Diego on a four-and-a-half month deployment.
— Howard Lipin / U-T San Diego

The emergency department on the Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy, which is preparing to leave Naval Base San Diego on Tuesday for the first leg of Pacific Partnership 2012, the largest annual humanitarian and civic mission. Scheduled stops include the ...
— Howard Lipin / U-T San Diego

Crew members come aboard the Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy. The ship is preparing to leave Naval Base San Diego on Tuesday for the first leg of Pacific Partnership 2012, the largest annual humanitarian and civic mission. During scheduled stops ...
— Howard Lipin / U-T San Diego

Gurneys are ready for service on the Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy. The ship is preparing to leave Naval Base San Diego on Tuesday for the first leg of Pacific Partnership 2012, the largest annual humanitarian and civic mission. Stops ...
— Howard Lipin / U-T San Diego

The emergency department on the Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy, which is preparing to leave Naval Base San Diego on Tuesday for the first leg of Pacific Partnership 2012,during the four-and-a-half month deployment.
— Howard Lipin / U-T San Diego

“We’re looking for the cases that will have very high impact, will help patients do things better, live longer and have a better life,” the Navy doctor said.

The Mercy sails again at 10 a.m. Tuesday for its 2012 Pacific Partnership mission. The converted oil tanker — one of two hospital vessels in the U.S. Navy — will make stops in Hawaii and Guam to pick up supplies and people before visiting Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.

There, Navy medical staff will operate on cataracts, fix hernias, insert ear tubes and set bones aboard ship. On land, the crew will give physical exams, teach first aid and nutrition and swap knowledge with local doctors.

Last time around, Provencher said, he learned intriguing things about using bamboo to splint limbs.

“Sometimes it’s an island of 40,000 people that we pull up to, and drop anchor, and there’s one surgeon there and that surgeon does everything,” said the Navy doctor, who is returning to the ship as director of surgery.

As the U.S. Defense Department turns its attention to the Pacific this year, in response to the rise of China, this mission — the largest regular humanitarian effort in the region — parallels the United States’ military interests.

The Mercy’s 1,000-person population will include 400 Navy medical personnel and 70 civilian mariners who drive the ship. Civilians from U.S. nongovernmental organization, such as the UC San Diego Pre-Dental Society, and foreign charities will fill out the roster.

This year’s $20 million medical mission has its roots in the late 2004 tsunami that devastated Indonesia. In January 2005, the Mercy was dispatched to provide aid to the region.